Battered Women’s Support Services Webinar Series

Responding to Complex Presentations of Violence against Women Interfacing with the Law

In this webinar series put on jointly by Battered Women Support Services and Courthouse Libraries, some of the issues when responding to complex presentations of violence against women interfacing with the law will be explored.

Some of the most challenging situations when supporting violence against women survivors occurs when interface with legal systems is ineffective at addressing and working with the complexities of the situation. Criminal, immigration and family law issues are a reality for women who experience violence and have particular significance for Indigenous, Refugee, Immigrant and women with precarious immigration status. For instance, women survivors of violence experience increased vulnerability:

when they are arrested for allegedly perpetrating domestic violence,

when they are incarcerated for criminal convictions arising out of post trauma coping behaviour before, during and post release, impacting Indigenous women disproportionately , and/or when,

they have precarious immigration status or are refugees or recent immigrants as well when they are self-representing in family law situations.

Community-based women’s organizations often the first response for women living with violence. At BWSS we provide a matrix of support & advocacy services. Today, we look forward to seeing in which way the province of BC prioritizes women’s equity #bcbudget#bcpoli#BudgetDay